BJP manifesto has no space for farmers, labourers: Akhilesh Yadav

Chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav along with party workers during an election campaign rally in Moradabad on Sunday. (PTI)

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Monday criticised BJP’s poll manifesto for not giving space to the problems of farmers and labourers who constituted a major part of society.

The manifesto only promised to solve problems of corporates, the Samajwadi Party leader said at an election rally at Hajipur in support of party candidate Bir Chand Paswan.Yadav said while Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav was a “true representative” of farmers, BJP prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi on the other hand was the “representative of corporates.”

He said the party had fielded a candidate from “Chaurasia” caste (which deals with betel trade) at Varanasi for defeating “chai wala” (Narendra Modi).

“Everybody knows that paan (betel) is more popular than chai (tea), particularly in Varanasi and neighbouring areas in Bihar,” he said.

He listed achievements of the SP government in UP made in “a small time of two years” and promised to publicise them across the country.

Yadav said almost 20 per cent of the UP budget had been earmarked for the welfare of minority Musmils, laptops for students, free medicines, pension and security for elders.

The SP government also distributed 1.5 lakh laptops among students in two years, he said adding Bihar and UP shared common problems and culture.

He appealed to the people to give a chance to SP at the Centre to spread the UP model of development in the country.

The UP CM also addressed rallies at Sheohar in support of SP candidate Lovely Anand, wife of jailed former JD(U) leader Anand Mohan Singh, and at Barh for SP candidate Ram Badan Rai from Munger earlier on Monday.